1,800 pilgrims from Vidarbha, MP, Chhattisgarh to leave for Haj on Sept 9

NAGPUR: About 1,800 Haj pilgrims from the Vidarbha region and the states of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh will embark on the journey to Saudi Arabia from the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International airport here when the annual pilgrimage starts on September 9.

There are about 1,200 pilgrims from Vidarbha, 100 from the neighbouring districts of Madhya Pradesh and around 500 from Chhattisgarh who will be leaving on the journey from the only embarkation point in Central India, Haji Mohammad Ibrahim Sheikh, President, Maharashtra State Haj Committee, told reporters here yesterday.

This time, the filling of emigration forms will be done with the help of Haj Committee volunteers for which six counters have been opened at the Haj House in the city. Besides, provisions for checking luggage have also been made, he said.

Additional Divisional Commissioner Hemant Pawar presided over a meeting yesterday to review the ongoing preparations, which was attended by the District Collector, Municipal Commissioner, officials of the Customs and Immigration and Health Department, MIHAN and representatives from other departments, he added.